# Step 4: Tour homes. What to look for when touring a house: a first-time buyer's checklist

> A showing is short, and the photos were chosen to sell. Use the visit to check what pictures can't show: water stains, smells, sloping floors, and the age of the roof and the big systems. Go back at the times you'd actually be home to hear the noise and see the traffic. Write your questions down as you go: they become your list for the seller and the inspector.

By David Knorr, founder of BuyWise Home. Last reviewed October 28, 2026. Web page: https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/tour-homes

## What to look at in 30 minutes

- **Water.** Stains on ceilings, a musty smell, damp spots in the basement or crawlspace, soft floors near tubs and toilets.
- **The roof and gutters.** Missing or curling shingles, and gutters that empty right next to the foundation.
- **Big systems.** Find the label on the heating and cooling unit and the water heater: each shows the year it was made.
- **The electrical panel.** Note the brand and whether it looks tidy. Your inspector will open it.
- **Floors, doors and windows.** Sloping floors, doors that stick, and cracks above door frames can point to settling.
- **The ground outside.** Soil should slope away from the house, not toward it.

Open the cabinets under the sinks. Run the taps. Flush a toilet. Small checks that take seconds.

## What the photos leave out

Listing photos use wide lenses and good light. They rarely show the busy road, the view from the back windows, the slope of the yard, or the house next door. Walk the street, stand in the yard, and listen.

## Judge the location on facts

Drive the commute at rush hour. Visit at night and on a weekend. Check whether the home is in a [flood zone](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/flood-zone) and how loud it is near highways, rail lines and flight paths. These are things you can measure.

Be wary of anyone who describes a neighborhood by who lives there rather than by facts like these. In the U.S., agents may not steer you toward or away from areas based on who lives there.

## Dos and don'ts

**Do**

- Take photos and notes in every room.
- Ask the age of the roof, the heating and cooling, and the water heater.
- Read the seller's disclosure before you make an offer, if you can.
- Go back a second time before you offer.

**Don't**

- Fall for the staging: furniture and fresh paint can hide a lot.
- Judge a street by one visit at one time of day.
- Choose a neighborhood from someone's description of who lives there.
- Skip the basement, the attic hatch or the crawlspace door.

## Questions to ask

**The listing agent**

1. How old are the roof, the heating and cooling, and the water heater?
2. Is there a seller's disclosure I can read now?
3. Are there known issues, or past insurance claims?
4. Have there been other offers?

## See it on a real home

The sample report is the founder's own home, 775 Hampton Pl SW, Marietta, Georgia.

- [How loud the street really is](https://www.buywisehome.com/sample#noise): Measured at the home, not guessed
- [Flood risk for the lot](https://www.buywisehome.com/sample#flood): What it means for insurance and resale

## Terms on this page

- [Flood zone](https://www.buywisehome.com/guide/glossary/flood-zone): An area mapped as having a higher chance of flooding. Lenders require flood insurance there.

## Sources

- [HUD: Fair housing rights](https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/fair_housing_rights_and_obligations)

_General information based on the standard Georgia REALTORS® purchase contract and public guidance. Your own contract decides: read it, and ask your agent or closing attorney about anything that matters. Not legal or financial advice._